1988 Porsche 924SE

As we watch 911 and 928 prices from the 1980s soar and the 944 Turbo, long considered the go-to value of the Porsche world, has started the march up the valuation ladder, where is a budget-minded Porsche enthusiast to turn? Without a doubt, the best place to get your low-cost thrills still is the “poor man’s” 924. Spanning just over a decade in production, values on early 931 Turbo models have also started to creep up, but if you look you can still find a good value on the later and arguably better driving 924S models. Reintroduced in 1987 with the underpinnings of the 944, the 924S was a budget Porsche. While the roughly $23,000 entry price certainly wasn’t cheap in 1987 dollars, it wasn’t much more money than a similarly equipped Audi Coupe GT. Dynamically, there aren’t many differences between the 1987 and 1988 models; ’88s got a few more horsepower than the ’87s thanks to a compression bump, but otherwise they’re the same – that is, except for the limited run “SE” model, perhaps the absolute best value in the Porsche world right now:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 924SE on Phoenix Craigslist

Year: 1988
Model: 924SE
Engine: 2.5 liter inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed
Mileage: 79,000 mi
Price: $7,000

Rare 1988 Porsche 924S se. Only 500 of these cars were made for the U.S. market. The ’88 se model was a car that Porsche released for autocross/club race. Equipped with manual steering, manual windows and manual door locks (to save weight), wider 15 x 7 phone dial alloys for the rear while retaining 15×6 in front, and the M030 package which includes stiffer springs and Koni shocks. The cars have a unique lightweight gray knit cloth upholstery and maroon carpeting. The sunroof and A/C were added on the car as a dealer option. The car only has 79,008 miles and has always been babied. $7000 or any reasonable offer.

As I’ve said before, if this car was simply called the “Club Sport” it would be worth several times what the current value is. As it doesn’t, though, it remains a bit of a closet secret in the Porsche world. Despite that, it shares the same DNA with the rest of the Club Sport cars from Porsche; lightened with manual steering, windows and even lightweight fabric on the seats, you had to option in items like air conditioning and the sunroof as the buyer of this car did. Outside, there’s very little to distinguish the 924SE from the regular 924S; they only came in black and had 1″ wider rear wheels and subtle mud flaps. This example may have been repainted, as it’s missing the 924S decal from the rear and the paint looks very glossy. It’s a bit of a gamble what the notoriously poor wearing lightweight fabric looks like under those covers, too, and you can bet the dash is cracked. But it has the right ingredients for a Club Sport; the M030 suspension is there, it’s got lower miles and the condition overall appears to be very good despite the lack of good photos. In spite of that, the asking price of $7,000 – while high in general for a 924S – is low for a limited production factory sport Porsche. You could buy a lesser example for shorter money, but this one overall seems to be a great example of a very rare bit of watercooled Porsche history, and if you’re looking for a potential future collectable, good examples of these could very well appreciate many times over in the coming years while still being a great driver that could be bought on a budget. Win, win!

-Carter